FRANCE . . . STRIKING AGAINST BUDGET CUTS

Commuters in France faced traffic jams and long lines Monday morning as a strike by national railroad employees reached its fourth day. The strike is the latest in a number of protests by millions of French public service workers who are angry at proposed job and benefit cutbacks. Bruce Crumley reports from Paris: "Polls show that about 54 percent of the French basically support the strikes. I guess they think that creating absolute havoc is justified. Air, rail and ground transport have ground to a halt. Schools, hospitals, post offices and sanitation are also shut down. Millions of Parisians have had to walk to work. The French are very unrealistic about their social service system. Cutting back on the fat in public sector jobs is the only way to reduce the deficit, which is required under the Maastricht Treaty. The striking workers are trying to spook the government into finding another solution. The problem is there is no other solution."